Semper Fi?
Ruth 1:16, “But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17″Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse , if anything but death parts you and me.”
These verses are used in a lot of wedding ceremonies as a reminder that marriage was meant to be an everlasting covenant between two people! Obviously, since the divorce rate is so high we can see that no covenant between two people can be everlasting. That is not to say that marriage covenants cannot be everlasting, “until death do us part”, because they can be! My parents were married for 48 years until my father passed away in 2008.
When I say that no covenant between two people can be everlasting I mean that for any covenant to last forever God MUST be the central focus! When Ruth said these words to Naomi the central points made was “your God, my God’. Even though Ruth was a Moabite she realized that God must be the center of her relationship or it would fail.
My father was a Marine, and the motto for the Marine Corps is Semper Fidelis(Semper Fi) which means Always Faithful. Because of the fallen nature of man it is impossible for us to be always faithful. Again, it is IMPOSSIBLE for humans to be ALWAYS FAITHFUL!
Take the example of the Apostle Peter he told the Lord Jesus just days before His crucifixion, Matthew 14:31…”Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.” All of the Apostles agreed with him, but when the moment of truth came everyone but John had abandoned Christ.
However, when the Holy Spirit came on them, and they were filled by the power of God these men(and women) were used by God to change the world. When they were relying on their own resolve then it was impossible for them to stay faithful, but when they were captured by God then they had the strength to stay on course.
No matter how strong you think you are no one can remain perfectly in His will without His Spirit and Power!
______________________________________
Father God, I thank You for giving me the strength to stay faithful to You because I know that without Your Spirit I will surely fail. In Jesus’ name, Amen
_______________________________________
The image above can be found at:http://whatculture.com/film/tribeca-2011-review-semper-fi-always-faithful-memorable-moving.php
Yes, You Can Ministry 